Lexie Kment Scores Golden Hattrick at 2021 North American Junior Riders Championships

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2021 North American Youth Championships

Lexie Kment and Montagny von der Heide secured a podium-topping position in the 2021 North American Junior Riders Championships for the third time this week, earning a 74.775 percent from the judging panel to sweep the division’s top honours.

Julia McDonald and Lehndorff van de Vogelzang took second place with a 71.850 percent, while Kat Fuqua (Atlanta, Ga.) and Dream Girl rounded out the top three on the podium, finishing with a 71.150 percent.

Hattrick for Lexie Kment

Kment (Palmyra, Neb.) and Montagny von der Heide, a 17-year-old Trakehner gelding by Hibiskus, bred in Germany by Manfred Rüter and owned by Laureen van Norman, have had a banner week at NAYC, helping Region 4 secure top team honors and winning both individual classes handily. The impressive pair have been partnered for just under a year and have connected quickly, leading to several notable performances.

“I am pretty speechless. I don’t even know what to say right now. It’s amazing,” commented Kment. “My horse was great today. We’ve had a lot of competition and I expected him to be tired, but he gave it his all and I gave it my all and it all worked out.”

This is the pair’s FEI debut and the first time Kment has competed in the Junior division. She commended and thanked the team behind her and “Monty” and discussed how pleased she is with their ability to deliver this week at their biggest competition together.

“I’ve only been with him for about nine months, and his owner, after I won the Children’s at the Festival of Champions last year, she offered Monty for me to ride and it’s been a great match,” explained Kment. “I think that it’s time. At first, I was weary because I had never done Juniors before, so I felt like we needed to get going, but over time, he’s really started to feel like my little boy and part of the family. It’s been amazing. I want to say thank you to the organizers, and to my sponsors, and my mom for helping to coach me, and to my family. It’s just been amazing.”

McDonald Rises to Silver

Julia McDonald on Lehndorff van de Vogelzang

Julia McDonald (Byron Center, Mich.) guided her own Lehndorff van de Vogelzang, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (by Quaterback x De Niro), to their first start in FEI competition this week in the Junior division at NAYC and finished just off of the podium in the Junior Individual Test, motivating them to aim for the podium in today’s Junior Freestyle Test.

“I’m speechless. I’m just so happy,” smiled McDonald. “I’ve had him for over a year. Christine Traurig and Laurie Moore have really helped my partnership with him. He’s just my best friend and such a good boy. It’s been a lot of fun being here. I’ve met a lot of friends and it’s been a long week, and a short week all in one, and I’m sad that it’s over, but I had a lot of fun.”

Second Bronze for Fuqua

After strong performances in all three tests and the only competitor contesting both the dressage and jumping competitions at NAYC, Fuqua and her own Dreamgirl P, a 13-year-old KWPN mare (by Spielberg x Goodtimes) concluded their weekend with a third-place finish in the Junior Freestyle Test.

This is the pair’s international debut and Fuqua was proud of their performances throughout the week representing Region 3.

“It’s been an amazing week, and it was exciting to do both the jumpers and the dressage here, so I got to meet a lot of new people on both sides. It’s really exciting to have two bronze medals. I think that my first medal gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the week,” commented Fuqua. “I’ve had Dreamgirl for about a year-and-a-half, and at Festival of Champions last year we were third. She’s just taught me so much in dressage.”

--- USEF press release, edited by Eurodressage